


All that comes after

by RedBlackOwl (Shaylayn)



Series: It's all Madara's fault... [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2020-12-31 19:03:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21150671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaylayn/pseuds/RedBlackOwl
Summary: A bunch of snippets following my story “A Dangerous Souvenir”.





	1. First meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Because apparently I can’t stay away from this Universe. 
> 
> As I don’t have any big plans for this, the snippets will be out of order. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Hashirama only listens with half a ear to his brother telling him about all his appointments of the day. He knows he should listen more carefully and normally he  _ does _ but normally his little brother doesn’t have a fox hanging in his arms.

The fox in question is glaring at Hashirama somewhat fierce with far to intelligent red eyes. He really doesn’t know what to make of that fox. Why does his brother have it? Where did it come from? Why was Tobirama bringing it with him to work? Why does Hashirama have the feeling that he rather not know the answer?

The fox is wearing what appears to be a collar, which means that Tobirama didn’t pick up some random fox. It does mean through that the fox is his  _ pet _ and  _ what? _

“Brother, are you listening?”

“Yes!”, Hashirama says reflexly. Tobirama eyes him suspiciously so Hashirama beams at him to discourage him from thinking that he  _ didn’t _ listen and he hadn’t but it is better if Tobirama doesn’t know that. 

The fox just rolls his eyes and lets himself go lax which immediately diverts Tobirama’s attention to him. It would be a lot more funny to watch if Hashirama weren’t freaked out by the fox  _ rolling its eyes! _

“Where does the fox come from?” Hashirama snapps his mouth shut the moment the words are out. Both of them immediately turn back to him in a terrifying show of synconity.

“He was a present from Madara.”   


“Madara gave you a fox? Why?”

“I don’t know. He gave him to me when he came back from that mission a few days ago.”

Hashirama thought back to that mission. Madara had told him that there was something he had to take care of and no, it had to be him to do it and yes, he needed to do it alone. The only reason Hashirama had accepted it without any more information was because Madara had threatened to do it with or without Hashirama’s permission. 

And Madara is Hashirama’s friend (and Tobirama’s  _ husband _ ) so he had accepted it and hoped that Madara would come home safe and sound.

Eying the fox who yawns widely while Tobirama murmurs something at it (him?) Hashirama wonders where Madara found it and why he thought it would be a fitting pet for Tobirama. 

Personally Hashirama had always thought of his brother as a cat person. 

Which is interesting and confusing, because Madara had proven to know an awful lot about Tobirama, his likes and dislikes. For someone who never seemed to have taken notice of Tobirama aside of the theoretical knowledge of him being Hashirama’s little brother and Izuna’s rival and the White Demon of the Senju, that was rather impressive. 

“Anija!”

“Yes?!”, Hashirama squeeks, straightening immediately. Tobirama is glowering at him and… the fox is  _ laughing _ at Hashirama! He gaps at the…  _ thing _ in his little brothers arms, because that is not normal fox behavior! 

“Could you please stop staring at Kurama? You are just encouraging him.”

Hashirama flails a little: “What? Encouraging? How am I encouraging him?!”

“You are reacting. He’s trying to see how many and which reaction he can get out of you”, looking down at the fox Tobirama frowns: “He was trying the same with Madara, but not with Izuna or Touka. I don’t think he likes you or Madara very much.”

“Wa?! But why? I didn’t do anything!”

Tobirama just humms. “I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t like you on principle? Maybe he can tell without having experienced it that you are an idiot.”

“You are so mean to me!”, Hashirama wails and throws himself down on his desk. Tobirama just sniffs, putting the documents he holds in his hand on the desk, directly in front of Hashirama’s face. 

The fox is cackling with laughter. It sounds absolutely horrifying and Hashirama can’t help but stare at the beast in his brothers arms, watching as Tobirama hitches the fox higher up with his now free hand, talking lowly to it.

Whatever it is he is saying to the fox seems to calm it down, the laughter dies down until it’s just grinning at Hashirama. 

Tobirama sighs long suffering: “It seems as if we will not get anymore done today. I will send Madara up here so he can help you with your work and then I will be in my office and try to get my own work done. Don’t you dare to ditch any of your paperwork or try to push it all onto Madara. We have plans tonight, if we miss it because you couldn’t be bothered to do your work as the leader of this village, I will sicc Kurama on you.”   


The fox immediately perks up at that, straightening where it had been hanging in Tobirama’s arms. Hashirama himself just looks at his brother with wide eyes: “NO! I will get it done I promise!”

“Good.”

With that Tobirama turns around and leaves the Hokage office, leaving Hashirama behind to lament his terrible fate.


	2. Regrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madara dearly regrets his decision to pick the Kyuubi up as protection for Tobirama (until he doesn’t but that is another story).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is rather short and all Miray's fault...
> 
> On a side note; I'm working on the chapter that has grown a plot, that was not part of the plan for this fic...

Something wet and cold presses itself against the hand he has buried in Madara's hair, startling him out of his pleasure inducted stupor. 

Pushing against Madara to get him to move, Tobirama tries to sit up. It gets him an angry growl from his husband who clings harder and bits lightly down on Tobirama's pulse point making him whine. 

He lets himself be dragged back down onto the bed, accepting the kiss Madara gives him, when the wet and cold thing is back snuffling at his hand.

He jerks upward dislodging Madara who lets out a surprised yell and tumbles onto the bed. Tobirama just stares at Kurama sitting in their bed all prim and proper with his fluffy tail curled around his paws and wide suspiciously innocent eyes.

Sighing, as Madara sits up beside him, he asks: "What are you doing here?" 

Kurama yips and hops back onto his feet and then over to Tobirama climbing into his lab and pressing his head against Tobirama's hand.

Smiling a little he rubs behind the fox' ears, watching as Kurama immediately melts into a puddle in his lap.

"What is the fox doing here?", Madara growls staring at Kurama who is completely monopolizing Tobirama's attention. 

"He probably just wants cuddles." 

"Yeah? Well I want them to", Madara says and wraps his arms around Tobirama's waist. Tobirama just hums and keeps stroking Kurama’s fur.

He jerks in surprise when he feels Madaras hands wander lower, jostling Kurama who makes a displeased sound and jumps up Tobirama's arms.

"Madara!", he snaps catching Kurama before he can go tumbling down from the bed. 

"What? I'm not doing anything."

"You very much are. Stop it!"

Groaning Madara hides his face in Tobirama’s shoulder tightening his arms a little: “It’s our first free evening in  _ weeks _ where we don’t have to get up early in the morning.”

“So?”

“I want to spent it with you, here in our bed.” His hands travel lower again, grunting when Tobirama elbows him: “Madara!”

“We were busy before the fox turned up!”

“Well, we are certainly not going to have sex as long as we have an audience.”

“It’s just a fox!”

Tobirama huffes and frees himself from Madara’s clutches, standing up with Kurama held securely in his arms. Behind him Madara flops on his back, grumbling under his breath.

“He is the Kyuubi, he is hardly just a fox.” 

He bends down to pick up his shirt that Madara had shucked away before they had fallen into bed together. While doing so, he feels Kurama brace his paws on his shoulders. 

Straightening back up, he throws his shirt over his other shoulder and turns toward Madara who lies on their bed, his arms crossed over his chest and his mouth pulled into a pout. 

“I will just put Kurama into my study and come back to bed then.”

Madara simply humes petulantly, which makes Tobirama roll his eyes. He turns around and moves towards the door. 

\---

Madara watches as his husband moves for the door. While the Kyuubi is watching Madara over Tobirama’s shoulder.

He scowls at the fox, who just blinks back at him innocently. 

Then, just as Tobirama opens the door, the Kyuubi suddenly  _ grins _ , raising a paw to mockingly wave at Madara. 

He surges upward, gaping at the beast currently held in his husband arms. He can’t believe it. That thing had interrupted them deliberately. It had actually planned this! 

The last thing he sees before Tobirama closes the door behind himself, is the Kyuubi silently laughing at him. He really,  _ really _ regrets bringing the Kyuubi home with him right now.


	3. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Tobirama is excited, Kurama is freaked out and somehow this entire first meeting is not what either of them thought it would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This starts directly after the end of “A Dangerous Souvenir” and somehow did not go at all like I thought it would. But I think that’s ok.
> 
> Also, when I first wrote “A Dangerous Souvenir” I did not intend Kurama to be able to talk at all in his actual fox form, but finding a way for them to communicate, especially in the beginning, would have been to much of a hassle, so Kurama is now able to talk in his tiny form. 
> 
> (There is also maybe a smidgen of a possible plot/random idea which I don’t know if I will ever really revolve, with the way it's going. But who knows *shrugs*)
> 
> Have fun!

It is fine, everything is just fine. Absolutely fine. 

Taking a deep breath Tobirama turns around towards his desk and catches sight of the Kyuubi sitting on it and staring at him.

For a moment neither of them moves, then Tobirama closes his eyes.

Nothing is fine, absolutely nothing! 

He still can’t believe that Madara has been so reckless as to bring the Kyuubi into their village and quite clearly against the beasts will. 

Tobirama doesn’t even know how Madara managed to bring the Kyuubi under his control. Is the Sharingan truly strong enough to enslave a force of nature like the nine-tails? 

If that’s the case they should probably be grateful that Madara is on their side. The danger a power like this could pose for their village is something Tobirama doesn’t want to contemplate. 

But it doesn’t change the fact that the Kyuubi is now here and _ angry. _Tobirama needs to do something to make sure he doesn’t go on a rampage the moment Madara loses whatever hold he has over him. 

How does he do that through? What can he do that will appease the Kyuubi? Maybe apologizing for Madara’s transgression would be a good start? 

“I’m sorry”, he says, bowing before the fox sitting on his desk. “I have no idea what my idiot of a husband did to bring you here, but whatever it was, I’m am sorry.”

Straightening again, he sees the surprise flicker in the red eyes of the quite possible strongest being in all of the world. It’s gone as fast as it came through and the Kyuubi growls at him not saying anything. Idly Tobirama wonders if he can even talk in this form… _ can _the bijuu talk at all? 

It’s probably better to assume they can. It’s less insulting this way. 

“I know that if I were to ask you what I could do to appease your wrath, it would be something along the lines of simply letting you go. But I’m certain that you would use it to immediately destroy the village.”

The Kyuubi (what had Madara said his name is? Kurama?) gives him a _ look _and huffs, turning his head away. It’s a surprisingly bratty reaction. Tobirama narrows his eyes. 

“I may be sorry about what Madara did to you, that he forced his will upon you and brought you here. But I will not allow you to freely run around the village and possibly harm it’s residents.”

_ That _ gets a reaction out of the Kyuubi. His head whips around, he hops onto his feet and hisses at Tobirama: “If you think I will just let you _ imprison _ me, you foolish human, you will regret it!”

Ah, so he _ can _ speak! But… imprison? 

“Why would I imprison you? Aside from the fact that one would have to find a way to do so first, it would also only antagonize you more to us, which is not advisable. Nothing is perfect and locking away someone that can not die? Well, one day someone _ is _ going to make a mistake or people forget the reason for the prison or, even worse, what is _ in _ the prison and try to open it. So no, I’m not going to _ imprison _you. But I will have to find a way to make sure no one figures out you are here. I don’t need a panic on top of everything else, and then I will just keep you with me, which is what I meant with not letting you freely run around.”

Whit that he steps forward and picks the Kyuubi (his name is Kurama, isn’t it? He really should start calling him that or maybe he should sure and ask first?) and moves towards his laboratory. Hopefully he can find a solution to this problem before Madara comes home from giving his report to Hashirama and checking in with Izuna. 

“I have a question for you”, Tobirama starts when he reaches his lab and starts to undo the seals he placed to keep unwanted people out. The Kyuubi doesn’t so much as twitch, but Tobirama isn’t faced by that so he continues: “Was Madara right? Is your name really Kurama or did he just gave it to you?” 

The Kyuubi jerks in his arms and hisses angrily: “That damned Uchiha did not name me! The notion that that worm could name _ me _ is an insult! My name was given to my be the Sage! Not someone as insignificant as _ Uchiha Madara _!” 

Tobirama, who had just set the Kyuubi down onto one of the tables in his lab, freezes when he mentions the Sage. 

The _ Sage _! Of course! Legend says that the Sage created the bijuu, doesn’t it? The legend itself is probably false, but there is truth in every legend. Why hasn’t Tobirama thought about this? 

The Kyuubi is a _ centuries old chakra-construct _. Not just a powerful force of nature, but one that possesses knowledge about the workings of the world, of history long forgotten by man, answers to questions Tobirama had been unable to find on his own. 

Slamming his hands down on the table Kurama is sitting on and startling him, Tobirama can’t help but grin, all but vibrating with excitement: “You knew the Sage?!”

\---

Kurama is not sure what exactly happened. 

The human had gone from being afraid of Kurama’s wrath (and rightfully so), to threatening him, to being all excited about the knowledge he thought Kurama must possess in the span of ten minutes. He is not quite wrong about the knowledge unfortunately. Kurama has always enjoyed acquiring new knowledge, unlike Shukaku who has always just wanted more and more power, something Kurama has had never much interest in.

But it doesn’t mean that he is going to share it with a human!

Unfortunately not answering the human’s questions just gets him speculating instead, talking at Kurama about what he _ thinks _ may be the answer to his questions and Kurama… well he just can’t let it stand when the human gets it all _ wrong _. 

So he snaps back the true answer and the human gets all excited again, whipping around to go search for something on his messy work table. Keeping talking all the while. 

In the next few hours Kurama learns a lot about the human who he had never paid any attention to before. He hadn’t been important then. There were other, more dangerous humans running around ruining Kurama’s entire _ life _ that Kurama never had thought that there could be someone even more dangerous. 

Senju Tobirama may not be in the possession of a bloodline that can either control or bind a bijuu like that fucking Uchiha or that foolish Senju, and he isn’t as ruthlessly practical as that Uzumaki bitch who had come up with a way to lock the bijuu away and then managed to harness Kurama’s power as if it _ belonged _to her.

But he has a mind unlike any Kurama has ever seen, paired with an endless amount of creativity and, probably most frighteningly of it all, humbleness in regard to his own knowledge, always ready to accept that what he knows is wrong and willing to learn what is right with minimal fuss. 

His questions are endless, his thirst for knowledge unquenchable and things like morals or ethics are just meaningless inconveniences for him. 

It’s probably a good thing that the human doesn’t want all this knowledge so he can acquire more power (even if that is definitely a bonus), but wants it just for the knowledge's sake. 

When Kurama learns, by accident, that Tobirama managed to create a way to bring back the dead and that it _ worked _ , even if not perfectly and that the only reason he _ isn’t _working on it anymore is his older brothers orders. He is insanely grateful for that stupid tree’s ridiculously high morals and believes that even in war there is a line for everything. 

In the end, hours later, when the Uchiha comes home from wherever he had gone of too, Kurama is in the possession of a collar that doesn’t restrict his chakra but dampens it to just a smidgen. Just enough to help explain away any strange, unfoxlike things Kurama will may or may not be doing in the future. As well as feeling a sudden burst of relief that it hasn’t been Tobirama who had to come up with a way to neutralises Kurama the first time around.

(Kurama does not want to think about how much _ better _ it could have possibly been if Tobirama had been tasked with finding a way to make sure that Kurama could no longer be a threat. The thought that there is actually a human who does not care for the power Kurama wields and all the way he could harness that, is to strange to be true and Kurama isn’t half as good as Tobirama in admitting that he may be wrong about something.)

(And if there is something about Tobirama: his appearance, his mind, his _ chakra _; that reminds him of something he can not remember, something old and long forgotten, that makes Kurama want to crawl out of his own skin in fright. Well, no one has to know about it, right?)


	4. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madara comes home from a mission late at night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just something short and sweet because I was in the mood. 
> 
> Timeline wise this is a few month after Madara brought Kurama into Konoha. So Tobirama and Kurama have grown somewhat close since then.
> 
> (Kurama still hates Madara through.)

Madara comes back from his mission in the middle of the night. He is exhausted mentally and physically and only wants to curl up with his husband and  _ sleep. _

His house is predictably dark, Tobirama having already gone to bed. Madara smiles a little. His husband had been absolutely terrible at keeping a normal sleeping schedule, often working through the night. Madara had done his best to change that and could say with pride that he had more or less succeeded.

Mostly Tobirama falls back into his old habits if Madara isn’t there to remind him to sleep or eat, but ever since he gifted Tobirama the Kyuubi as a pet even that does not happen that often anymore. 

He ghosts through the hallway of his home, not bothering with turning on the lights. Tobirama is a terribly light sleeper so Madara has to be careful if he doesn’t want to wake his husband up. Kurama will give him the  _ look _ if he wakes Tobirama and Madara really doesn’t want that to happen. 

Slipping through the door to their bedroom, he finds Tobirama curled up in their bed, fast asleep. 

A smile tucks at Madara’s lips, as he realizes that Tobirama is laying on  _ Madara’s  _ side of the bed. It seems that his husband has missed him. 

Carefully stepping closer he finds the Kyuubi cuddled close to Tobirama, one of Tobirama’s arms curled around the small body and holding him close. 

Madara blinks in surprise at the scene. He has never seen them so close. Sure Tobirama is always carrying Kurama around, but at night the Kyuubi hides in the nest he made in Tobirama’s study. 

Or maybe he has never seen them like this, because normally he is home and Kurama doesn’t actually like him. So of course he stays away from Madara as much as possible.

For a moment, he is unsure what to do. 

On one hand he just wants to climb into bed with his husband and hold him close after the last few nights sleeping alone. On the other hand, he doesn’t want to disturb them, doesn’t want to disturb  _ Tobirama, _ which will happen if he wakes the Kyuubi up. Who will then most likely try to escape, which will wake Tobirama and…

Maybe he should just go sleep on the couch. Tobirama will be upset in the morning, but at least he will not have disturbed his husband most likely much needed sleep. 

Before he can make a decision, there is a grumble from the bed and the Kyuubi rises his head from his paws, glaring at Madara. 

He freezes, waiting for the Kyuubi to do… something and wake Tobirama up. 

But the Kyuubi doesn’t do anything. He just lies there, staring at Madara and Madara can’t help but stare back. 

For a few moments that’s all they do; staring at each other as if daring the other to make the first move. 

Madara is absolutely ready to do a strategic retreat and make his way to the couch, when Kurama finally huffs: “Get in bed. Tobirama has missed you, it was pathetic.” Then he lays his head back down on his paws and closes his eyes. 

At the same time Madara is reeling with the fact that the Kyuubi has talked to him for the first time since he had gone back in time and snatched him up a second time. 

He hadn’t even known that Kurama could talk in this form. 

Taking a deep breath he finally begins to strip out of his clothes and into something more suited for sleeping. That done he makes his way around the bed to Tobirama’s side and carefully slips under the covers, scooting closer to his husband.

Tobirama doesn’t turn around, but he melts into the arm Madara curls around his waist and letting out a content sigh. 

The Kyuubi huffs again and Madara very carefully tries not to touch him by accident, fearing that Kurama will bite off his hand if he does. It would be really messy and Tobirama would be upset. 

And then he would drag Madara to Hashirama so he can reattach the hand which will mean that Hashirama will _cry_ _all over him _because of it and will be unbearably in the next few weeks. 

So it’s probably better to not give the Kyuubi any reason to bite of Madara’s hand. 

Tugging Tobirama a tiny bit closer and pressing his nose into Tobirama’s neck, Madara closes his eyes. Happy to be finally home again.


	5. Musings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mito goes on a hunt for her missing brushes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See me posting a new chapter one day after the last! I have finals in two weeks so of course my insperation strikes me now...
> 
> Anyway, writing Mito is hard and this chapter went wildly out of hand, is this how authors feel when their story runs away from then? I'm not sure I like this feeling...

Mito sighs as she takes in the state of her study. 

Papers are scattered all over the place, her inkwell has been spill (just the normal ink through, the chakra infused one is still standing safely in its place on the shelf) and all of her brushes are gone. 

For a moment she is tempted to just turn around and leave all this mess until tomorrow. It wouldn’t be a problem, there is nothing pressing at the moment, thanks to her tendency to never postpone important work like her husband tends to do. 

But she also knows herself enough to know that it would irk her the entire day that her study is in such a state. 

Sighing again she starts to make her way toward the Hokage Tower, where she will most likely find the culprit and her missing brushes. 

Sometimes she thinks about retaliation, most days she is just glad that the Kyuubi keeps to his petty revenge that never does any lasting damage (well, maybe except for the ink, which she will have to replace). 

Mito is very well aware that it could have been much,  _ much  _ worse. 

She remembers how she had awaken suddenly in the middle of the night in her marriage bed back in the old Senju compound, Hashirama sleeping peacefully at her side and the presence of Tobirama's cool and calming chakra at the other side of their home. 

She remembers the shock she had felt at having traveled back in time when it should have been Madara, not her.

She had gotten up after reorienting herself, after looking for the Kyuubi's chakra that was no longer there anymore, and had made her way into the study that had been set up for her when she married Hashirama and came to life in the Senju compound. 

She had tried to recreate the seal she had spent five weeks on to make work, to write it down and find out what went wrong. 

(Where she had failed. Why it was her that was sent back. If maybe Madara was here as well and she had just been dragged along and if that meant that the Kyuubi had come back too and was now free again with all his rage and resentment towards them.

She never found the answer to the why and when peace came without Izuna’s death and the following rampage of Madara, she stopped searching. It wasn’t important anymore. 

So she had quietly put her notes away and started to focus on this new present, that was so much more hopeful than the one she had come from.)

The tower is as busy as she remembers it. From this present, as well as from the one that no longer is. 

Making her way up to the floor Tobirama’s office is on, she is politely greeted by all those from different clans and cheerfully from all those that belong to the Senju. Some of them ask if she is searching for her husband, who is appartendly out for lunch with Madara. 

She narrows her eyes a little at that. She will have to ask Tobirama if Hashirama has done anything to deserve this lunch or if he has run away from his paperwork once again. 

Mito loves her husband, really she does. But sometimes she despairs at his unwillingness to do his duty or at least some of it. 

Hashirama is a good leader, exactly what their still growing village needs. Someone people turn to instinctively, who they can turn to and know that their concerns are taken seriously, someone that can make them feel safe just by being the one leading them.

Madara would have been a bad choice simply for those things. Not that Mito doesn’t think that Madara could have made a good Hokage who cares for those under him, he had been a much beloved clan head before Izuna’s death after all. But not in the beginning of their peace and village, where everything had been held together by Hashirama’s sheer force of will (and Tobirama’s determination to  _ see this through  _ even if it killed him).

Reaching Tobirama’s office, she regards the wide open door with a frown. Tobirama isn’t exactly known for a open door policy like his brother. He worked better from the shadows, behind closed doors and where no one realized that he is even there and how much of anything is his doing. 

It had been clear back then, how much he hadn’t wanted to be Hokage, regardless how good at it he had been. Tobirama isn’t a leader, not in the way Hashirama or Madara are, but he had been what they needed at the time. After Madara’s betrayal, Hashirama untimely death and the threat of all the other new villages, they had needed someone practical and calculating and  _ cold _ to keep it all from falling apart. 

And Tobirama had done it, had kept the village standing and thriving and gave it the foundation it needed to stay standing even after his sudden death and the ascension of a too inexperienced Hokage. 

Shaking her head to clear it of her dark thoughts, she steps forward towards Tobirama’s office. Stopping in the doorway, she lightly knocks on the wood of the doorframe to alert him to her presence. 

He looks up from his work with a smile, already knowing it is her and not someone else there to bother him about something. Mito isn’t surprised by it, he is the strongest sensor she has ever met and she comes from a clan full of powerful sensors, herself included. 

“Hello, Mito”, he greets and mentions for her to come in. “What can I do for you?”

“Oh, not much”, she starts, a smile tugging at her lips at the sight of him, whole and healthy, happy and  _ alive. _ It’s something she sometimes still marvels at, even all those years later. “Your fox stole my brushes again.”

Tobirama blinks at her, then turns towards the fox that is stretched out on a conveniently clear space on his desk. The Kyuubi blinks up at Tobirama innocently and it’s clearly enough for Tobirama to sigh. 

“Kurama”, he chides gently. “We talked about this, didn’t we? No stealing Mito’s brushes.”

Mito watches as the Kyuubi lets his ears drop dejectedly, hiding his face under his paws. It’s a strangely cute image and clearly Tobirama is not immune to it. He rubs his brow and sighs: “Don’t look like that. I’m not  _ angry _ but you need to stop with stealing her things.”

The Kyuubi peaks out from under one paw as if to check that Tobirama  _ truly _ is not angry, before sitting up and tilting his head a little, curling his tail around his paws. 

Tobirama smiles a little, rising a hand to gently tug on one of the Kyuubi’s ears: “Now, where did you hide Mito’s brushes? Where you always put them or somewhere else?” 

The Kyuubi huffs and turns his head to look into the corner where he has made a nest that, according to Tobirama, greatly resembles the one he has in Tobirama’s study at the Uchiha compound. 

Already used to the procedure, Mito just nods and walks over to the nest: “I will retrieve my brushes then, if you don’t mind.”

“No, no. Please do.”

Kneeling in front of the mess of blankets and pillows in the corner, she asks: “I heard Hashirama and Madara have gone to have lunch together. Is my dear husband fleeing his responsibilities again or is he taking a deserved break?”

She can hear Tobirama chuckle behind her, as she lifts the fold of the nest that she knows hides her brushes: “Surprisingly, yes. I’m not sure what Madara did, but it got Anija working.”

Collecting her brushes, Mito huffs: “Then I don’t have to hunt my husband down and drag him back to work by his ear.”

Standing back up, she turns back to Tobirama, who has taken to pet the Kyuubi. It is still such a strange sight and leaves a bitter taste in her mouth. 

She and Tobirama have never discussed the fact that she knows what his pet fox really is. She hadn’t wanted anyone to know that she is from another future that went horribly wrong. 

It is one of the reason why she never asked if “Kurama” is a name Tobirama or Madara have given the Kyuubi or if it actually is his name and… 

Well, Mito is not one for regretting things she knows were unavoidable and sealing the Kyuubi had been necessary at the time, but knowing it was more than just a mindless monster and instead a sentient being with thoughts and emotions and free will put everything into a different perspective and made her wonder…

It does not matter through, not anymore. That future does no longer exist and would now never come to pass. Dwelling on the what ifs would not get her anywhere. 

“Kurama likes to tell you that he is sorry for stealing your brushes and trashing your study… again.”

The Kyuubi grumbles and swats at Tobirama’s hand. Mito simply smiles: “Thank you. But I will believe that when he really doesn’t do it anymore.”

Tobirama huffs out a laugh: “Is there anything else you need?”

“No, that was all. I will be on my way. My study doesn’t clean itself unfortunately.”

“Very well, have a good day, even if it’s spend cleaning this one's messes”, he says and tugs once again on one of the Kyuubi’s ears. 

“Thank you. Make sure you let Madara drag you out of your office at some point.”

“As if he doesn’t do that every day anyway.”

Mito chuckles as she turns to leave. Madara is truly good for Tobirama, as much as Hashirama and Tōka had trouble seeing it at first.

Before she opens the door, she turns back around for a moment, taking in the sight in front of her. The Kyuubi has sidled up to Tobirama who is quietly talking to him, a hand stroking over his back while the Kyuubi rubs his head against Tobirama’s cheek affectionately. 

Carefully she tabs into her chakra and opens up her senses. The feel of their chakra is a strange combination. Tobirama’s deep, calm and cool chakra, clashing with the dark and corrosive one of the Kyuubi in a strange but  _ pleasant  _ way.

Mito blinks and… 

_ … sees a woman with white hair and pale eyes…. horns sprout from her forehead… there is red on her face and…  _

_ … a shift and the distortion of water… the yawning maw of the ocean opening beneath her as she sinks deep, deep, deeper still…  _

_ … the moon hangs overhead screaming in rage as the ocean laughs in mocking delight… _

_ … there was something before, something forgotten but not lost… watching and waiting, always waiting… judging the world and finding it wanting…  _

… turns to the door before either of them realize that she is still there. She opens the door and leaves Tobirama’s office, closing it behind herself. 

She looks down onto the brushes in her hand. They are intact, like they always are. No scratches on them, no teeth marking and no hair bend askew.

Shaking her head, Mito makes her way home, the strange vision already faded from her mind.


	6. Pets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuna wants a pet too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally managed to write another chapter for this! I had the first part and the end written but couldn't figure out how to connect them for a while. 
> 
> It is finished now through! I hope you enjoy it!

Izuna first confronts him two weeks after Madara brought the Kyuubi into Konoha and gave him to Tobirama as a gift. 

“This is unfair.”

Tobirama blinks and turns around, Kurama who is hanging in his arms swings lightly with the motion. 

“What is unfair?”, he asks, confused. Izuna just pouts: “Why did  _ my  _ brother give you a pet and not me?”

“Maybe because I’m his  _ husband? _ ”

“I’m pretty sure that being a brother trumps being a husband.”

“And I am fairly certain that that is an rather idiotic take.”

Frowning Izuna crosses his arms in front of his chest: “It’s still unfair.”

“Well maybe you should take it up with Madara then? He was the one who gave me Kurama without me asking for it.”

Izuna just sniffs self importantly. “Maybe I will”, he says and turns away rushing off, leaving a confuses Tobirama behind. 

\---

As Izuna does not approaches him again, Tobirama believes the problem solved and does not think about it anymore until Madara comes home a few day later in a irritable mood. 

Tobirama is in the kitchen preparing dinner when Madara stomps into the house, muttering darkly to himself. 

Slightly concerned Tobirama turns to him and asks: “Is everything alright?”

“No. Izuna complained to me that he didn’t get a pet but you got one. I have no idea why he takes such offence at it. He has never even hinted at wanting a pet before.”

Frowning Tobirama watches as Madara lets himself fall into one of the chairs at their kitchen table, crossing his arms on the tabletop he lets his head fall onto them. 

Kurama, who is lying stretched out on the other side of the table, eyes him warily. Then he jumps of and joins Tobirama at the stove. 

“Now he wants me to get him a pet, too. Otherwise I am apparently a bad brother.”

“Just don’t do it. Izuna will not stay mad at you forever. He is like a child, he will forget about it in a few more days.”

Madara grunts, but doesn’t say anything more about it. Tobirama hopes that it will be the end of it. 

\---

It is, of course, not the end of it. Izuna is surprisingly persistent. Bringing up at every opportunity how unloved he is and how he is no longer important to Madara. 

Tobirama would find it funny if he isn’t making Madara more and more distressed with his ridiculousness. Not that Madara is letting on how upset he truly is about it, of course. Instead he keeps slapping Izuna over the back of his head and calls him a brat. 

But Tobirama has learned to read his husband’s moods. An absolute must if one wants to live with an Uchiha who flails more than he is able to accurately communicate his feelings. 

He will never let anyone, least of all Izuna, be aware of the fact that he doesn’t know what to do.

“He has never said that he wanted a pet!”, Madara angrily shouts one day after coming home from spending the evening with his brother. “Why does he insist in wanting one now?”

“I do not think that he is really serious about it. I think he is just being a little shit because you randomly gave me a fox as a present. It’s not like I ever said I wanted a pet of any kind.”

Madara whines at that and draps himself over Tobirama’s lap where he is sitting on their couch reading. 

Tobirama eyes him judgmentally, but still treats the fingers of one hand in his husband wild hair, scratching lightly. He smiles when he hears Madara making a content sound and going boneless in his lap. 

“If it really bothers you, you should talk to him. Or if you don’t want, I can do it.”   


Madara sighs heavily: “No, I should talk to him myself and figure out what he really wants. But… what do I do if he actually wants a pet?”

“We will think about that when we know if he really wants one or if he is just being an idiot.”

\---

Tobirama is right of course. Not that this has ever not been a possibility. 

They had invited Izuna over for dinner after which Madara had planned to ask his brother about the entire pet thing. 

Tobirama had left them alone for it and retreated to his study, where Kurama had hid himself in his nest to avoid the bunch of overemotional Uchiha. 

He had tried to get a bit of work done with Kurama curled up in his lap, when the chakra of the two brothers had suddenly spiked and followed by loud shouting and crashing. 

Sighing and rolling his eyes at those two idiot brothers, Tobirama had picked Kurama up and made his way to the sitting room, where the brothers were in. 

Now he is standing in the doorway, watching Madara and Izuna wrestling on the ground whilst accusing each other of being an idiot. 

“Of course I haven’t been serious aniki. What the fuck.”

“I worried for nothing then, huh? Maybe a dip in the koi pond will show you what I think of that!”

“What? How is it my fault if you take it this seriously?!”

“How was I to know that you are not?!”

“I have never said that I want a pet? Like ever? Why are you making such a big deal out of this?!”

There is a yelp, another crash and Tobirama can’t help and cover his face with one of his hands. Kurama through is clearly taking great amusement out of watching the two brothers rolling around on the ground. 

Madara meanwhile makes an heavily offended noise: “You are my brother! I want you happy! I thought I have been missing something you want!”

“Don’t be stupid. I was just teasing you. You gave him a fox! That’s not just a weird pet, it’s also not what I would have thought of as a pet for him! Where did you even get it?”

“That’s hardly the point here…!”

“Wait! Does that mean you would get me a pet?”

“IZUNA!”

Tilting his head slightly to the side, Kurama keeps observing the two brothers wrestling on the ground: “I may have a solution for this problem.”

\---

Three weeks later Madara holds out a bluish-gray cat to his brother and says: “Here, because you apparently want a pet so badly.”

Izuna’s eyes are huge in surprise as he takes the cat from his brothers grip, cradling it against his chest. A smiles creeps onto his face as the animal in his arms starts purring up a storm and rubs its head against the underside of his jaw. 

“Wow, Aniki. I did not actually expect you to get me a pet. I really wasn’t serious about it.”

Madara just huffs: “Well, you were being annoying. So I thought it a good idea. Just take good care of her and don’t dare to think that you can hoist her unto me or Tobirama because you got bored or something.”

“Of course not!”, Izuna chirps and runs a hand down the cats back, a pair of mismatched eyes, one blue one yellow, look up at him and his new cat lets out a small meow. He is already halfway in love with her. 

Madara eyes his brother for a moment than nods: “Good and by the way, her name is Matatabi.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have a few things I want to write about, but if there is anything you would like to see in this universe, let me know and I will see what I can do.


End file.
